I finally got to taste the Dunkin Spicy Ghost Pepper Doughnut. I’m very glad I haven’t tried it weeks ago because it was delicious.
I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t as pretty as the photo, but such is life.
The doughnut itself was their basic glazed doughnut without the glaze. More moist than their basic cake doughnut.
The ghost pepper was incorporated into a sweet icing with little bits of decorative red sugar. The pepper flavor was present from the first taste, then came the sweet icing, then the finish was a heat that hung in the throat pleasantly but didn’t destroy your mouth.
My business partner wanted to stop at Wawa so I got an iced coffee and opted to try the French toast flavor. I loved the vanilla and cinnamon notes, and while I’d like to dial back the sweetness I can tolerate it as made. Wawa doesn’t allow as much customization of drinks compared to Dunkin.
The last two days have involved trying to deal with the demands of house and health, applying for jobs, and keeping the pets alive and hopefully happy.
Today I learned county council passed a resolution appointing me to the Drug & Alcohol Advisory Board.
Yesterday and earlier today, I exchanged text with some of my peers volunteering with Feline Urban Rescue and Rehab. One person is updating Zeus and Apollo’s pictures on the web site and report that the pair are “playful” and becoming more outgoing. And as usual, Zeus is the attention hog.
I miss her so much. I haven’t stopped St. Chaar Pet Supply since Tuesday because it makes my heart hurt.
Zeus is the one in front
This morning I got my monthly Ipsy Glam Bag. It was due between October 6 and 16. So I was getting impatient. Especially since this is my last one until I get some income.
The teenagers had to go to Marching Band and record their performance for competition.
Click on the image to see my recording
So in the afternoon, I worked on posts for Lucha Bella’s social media. (Lucha Bella_skincare on Instagram)
Nala
Fog and Oz
A background photo I took for Merri
Kale
Finally, the teenagers are off doing laundry and homework with the estranged husband at his parents’ house. I used the last $20 of my GrubHub gift card to order Taco Bell. I chose Taco Bell for several reasons:
With a $15 order you got a free taco and free delivery (delivery is $3.99 plus $3 service fee plus tip)
The food is cheap, so even with all those fees you can still get food for $20.
My last two orders got screwed up— I blame the app not the restaurant. I don’t want small independent restaurants to be penalized for problems caused by the app and fault’s in GrubHub’s design. Ironically Taco Bell is the only order that came out right.
Later in the day I did a taste test of doughnuts — Giant Bakery vs. Maple Doughnots at Grocery Outlet. Fog crashed this video so you can get the cat’s opinion, too.
I bought this drink at Grocery Outlet and decided to try it today since I wanted something different, something refreshing but something without caffeine.
At first I thought Positive Beverage sparkling zero calorie crisp cucumber healthy electrolyte beverage tasted like a syrup, similar to those syrups used to flavor Italian sodas. But the more I drank it, the more it tasted like a fancy cucumber cocktail.
I have so many potential posts running around in my head, I am opting to combine them all in a long post.
Coffeereview: Bread and Basket French Roast
So I made a new brand of coffee this morning, Bread and Basket French Roast from ShopRite. It was the same price as the Folger’s Black Silk I bought at Target. Wonderful aroma and while it looked like it brewed extra strong and my cream didn’t really lighten it, it tasted just right.
Weight and stress relief
I have started counting calories again, using Fooducate this time and not My Fitness Pal. My Fitness Pal has more information such nutritional tracking and macros and connects more seamlessly with iHealth. Fooducate focuses on the quality of calories you eat, and since my stress foods are processed and refined carbohydrates I find that the best step in my process right now.
I had lost a solid two pounds this week but last night’s binge of Doritos and horseradish dip, sour patch kids and two alcoholic beverages reacquainted me with half a pound AND gave me nightmares.
Kittens
I haven’t even had a change to truly introduce the Norse Pride Kittens I am pet sitting for Feline Urban Rescue and Rehab. They don’t have a permanent foster placement yet so we may keep them as they are friendly, jolly and fluffy two-pound kittens. See them on YouTube here: Norse Pride.
Hermes of the Greek Pride is doing well but scratched his nose. Stopping to see Zeus and Apollo today. They are at Chaar in Forks Township. Chaar’s web site
And finally my look of the day:
**Since I wrote this post, it has been brought to my attention I called the Shoprite brand Bread and Basket instead of Bowl and Basket. Oops! Can’t blame me for that— I managed to get my waist into the leg hole of my panties today.
I decided to bake a cake and a Bundt cake at that. Got those Duncan Hines mid-20th Century vibes going on with a boxed carrot cake.
And some pecan coconut icing I bought on a whim. It sounded good or gross. Not sure which.
It’s cooling now.
It was almost a relaxing day. It should have been relaxing completely but I had lots of chores to do and a doctor’s appointment.
But the morning included a visit from my friend Buddy and a nice walk with him, Jan and Sobaka.
Buddy
I got my first pedicure since the pandemic started. Nala has been chewing my toe nails and eating the dead skin.
And speaking of Nala, she didn’t react well to the bass drum that ended up in my living room.
Now to ice my cake… I swapped some of the eggs for organic apricot applesauce… the cake has a lovely texture and amazing flavor but I flipped it too soon. So you’ll have to stop by for a bowl of cake.
So I’ve wanted all day to do a “Nonprofit Roundup” that talked about the remaining workshops I attended this week and the hygiene kit event that Aspire to Autonomy hosted at Terra Cafe today.
But I am exhausted, so instead you get a review of the Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter.
Short version: I love Yuengling & I love chocolate beers. Of local craft beers, Twin Rivers Brewing has a really good one. My all time favorite beer is Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout.
I found this beer very smooth, enjoyable and easy to drink.
Me with my porter at Three Mugs Pub
My dad likes to come to town to visit Three Mugs Pub and we all love the Shruty’s Burger, a special burger designed by the former owners and my husband and I were the first paying customers to order and eat it.
Ah, the memories.
Today I also tried the mango habanero hot chicken dip, which when my stepmom liked until she got too much in one mouthful and experienced too much spicy heat.
Teenager #2 channeled her inner Griffindor, so she said, when she did my makeup today.
The last few days have been emotional, challenging and at times full of mirth… so as expected, it is the full moon.
I attended a few trainings and meetings and will be (or was) on the county council meeting agenda to serve on the drug andalcohol task force. I also sat in on a meeting of the YWCA of Bethlehem’s Empowerment and Justice Committee.
Today was the first Friends of Pete mixer since the pandemic started!
But let me not get ahead of myself.
I did two loads of laundry, tended some pets, had coffee with a neighbor, vacuumed my room, tried to get information on my unemployment claim (tried two different agencies and could get through to neither), went for a walk with another neighbor… and learned some high school physics.
And then Sarah, my lead intern in the communications department at ASPIRE to Autonomy visited! It was our first in person meeting despite working virtually practically side by side since June.
She knows the delightful crazy in my house— the naughty cockatoo, the sibling grey cats, the visiting dogs, the foster kittens, marching band, teenagers 1 & 2, the blind poet friend, etc. She’s seen & heard a lot of silly and strange things via video chat.
And now she drove 90 miles to see the real thing. Maybe a should start my own reality television show… and then run for President.
Teenager #1 proclaimed that Sarah was “even prettier in real life.”
She tried to make friends with Nala, met lots of cats, and then I went to take her on a tour of my neighborhood.
And there was construction blocking on end of the street and no lie a MUFFLER and TAILPIPE at the other. To get out of my street, we had to move part of an exhaust system. To which Sarah merely said, “I am not even surprised.”
View from my garage
I drive her to the teenagers school, show her Easton Area High School (the size of which blew her mind), and (don’t judge) visited two Dunkin’ Donuts out of the six within 2.5 miles of my house. We only got drinks at one. Note: Sarah uses almond milk.
We drop the car off and take a walk around the neighborhood which she enjoys because she can’t go anywhere on foot at her house. And she asked a lot of good questions discovering the history of the Dixie cup along the way.
We return to the house because I told Sarah we were going to light a few candles. Apparently I had never mention to Sarah that I was an animist pagan (or in practical terms a witch).
Oops.
Luckily, she has a history as a Catholic and Catholics light as many candles, burn as much incense and if you consider a prayer a spell, then do as magic as witches do.
So around 4:15, we did a candle burning ritual to coincide with the 5:05 full moon. I gave teenager 1 a white candle to draw the positive light to us and keep our intentions pure. I gave teenager 2 a purple candle as I want her to draw peace, calm, and safety into her life. I gave Sarah a blue candle as her friend had cancer surgery today and we wanted to pray for her healing. My candle was green. I need money, a job or some sort of resources.
After Sarah’s first ritual, we left for the Friends of Pete mixer— the Pandemic Breakout Networking event— in downtown Easton. I also showed her my old office at ProJeCt of Easton and then we drove by the new office for ASPIRE.
I reconnected with some old acquaintances— including Gil Bean of InFlow Advisory and PeteReinke. I met some new people and got to have drinks with my ASPIRE peers. And forgot to finish explaining to Amber, the co-founder of ASPIRE the difference between a Wiccan, a pagan and a witch.
I had a gin-elderberry-lime-berry cocktail and calamari at Ocean. I’d dined at all the other restaurants on the list so it was nice to finally try Ocean.
But let me back up and explain— Friends of Pete is a Lehigh Valley networking group that has a strong LinkedIn presence, a weekly Zoom check in and used to have monthly mixers.
It is how I met Darnell in August 2019.
And Sarah realized she’d been to Easton before— to visit The Crayola Factory. Which I had written the original press release when Binney & Smith first remodeled the old Orr’s store and launched that attraction more than 20 years ago.
She’ll be at the adoption fair at PetSmart this weekend. Speaking of cats, we have two new cats in our spare bedroom that may be staying with us for a while.
They are fosters in a way, belonging to someone who needs a little special support these days. I don’t have much, but I usually can find a way to help or share what I can.
But after being pushed out of my funk today, I offered to guide the teenagers in making chômeur pudding. Chômeur is the French word for unemployed person, and this dessert is a great super sweet dish that you can whip up when you are snowed in. Because it doesn’t require fancy ingredients!
I originally got the recipe from Post Punk Kitchen (a vegan site) but I couldn’t find a link so I used this old entry from my recipe blog: Chômeur Pudding. (I blogged every meal for about seven years!)
For the cake:
2 cups flour
3/4 c sugar
1 cup “milk” (soymilk if you’re vegan)
4 tablespoons melted “butter” (margarine if you’re vegan, gotta love Earth Balance)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
For the syrup:
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups water
1 teaspoon flour
In a large glass baking dish (or I used my Le Creuset skillet), place brown sugar and flour from the syrup ingredients in the bottom. Add the water.
Mix dry cake ingredients. Add melted butter and milk. Mix gently. Plop in about six lumps in water. Bake at 375 degrees, 30-40 minutes.
It’s not pretty but the sauce on the bottom turns into caramel and the cake just soaks it in.
Angel Ackerman 